Steam-drive for automobiles



P. J. GRIFFIN STEAM DmvE Foa AuTMoBlLEs.

Patented Feb. 17,1920.'

2 SHEETS-SHEET l APPLICATION EILED MAR. 6,1917.

WITNESS P. 1. GRIFFIN A STEAM DRIVE FOR AUTOMOBILES.

' APPLICATION FILED MAR. 6.19I7. 1,330,863. APfreIfmed Feb.17,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

1N VEA/TOR,

05W, m Je@ STATES PATENT oar-ion.

, PATRICK J. GEIFEIN, .OF"D.0RCHESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOROF ONE-HALF TO IbEWISI-I. SHIPMLAN, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS; AND ONE-HALF TO TI-IE GRIFFIN MFG.. CO., OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION.

sTEAM-DRIVE FOR. AUTOMOBILES.

Specification ofLctters Patent.

Patented Feb. 17, 1920.

Application filed' March 6', 1917. Serial No. 152,891.

To all'wkom #may concern.'

Be it known that I, PATRIGK. J. GRrrrIN,

The object ofthis invention isv to provide simple, effective and; reasonably cheap' means whereby a vehicle may be propelled, at a smaller cost: than is required to operatel the existing types of gasolene. and steam' plants, this improved type of'd'rive eliminating' the present' expensive. transmission gearing.

In the drawings hereuntov annexed, Figure 1 is a side elevation of'my'mproved mechanism with the ,chassisv and body proper shown in dotted lines, for the purpose of greater clearness, it being understood how- 'ever that' the various worm drives, bevelgears, etc., are to be-inclosedin oil or grease and therefore will require individual cas# ings. VFig isv a planv view of. the mechanisms and shows' the' several bases or sup'- ports forsaid mechani'sms'intheir respective positions.'

Fig'. 3 isa relatively enlarged-'view of the videdj for moving' longitudinally the shaft.

26. Figt is a partial sectional plan view of 'the exhaust', condensation, Vand conveying mechanism. In Fig. 5 'I have shown a preferred type of; boilerand steam super'- heater, and Fig. dis a diagrammaticview of a simple construction whereby the steam may either be conducted into Ya; :condenser (as indicated by'Fig; 4)' or exhaust directly into the atmosphere'. p

The construction as herein disclosed may be alteredy orfredesigned, so far as the claims hereunto appended permit, inasmuchY as the several parts' are' ofl standard or` readily recognized construction; v

Referring now-'tothel drawings, the numeral 102V denotes a radiator of any suitable design' having a connection 11 with an oil burning boiler 12. The said boiler embodies a heat-.insulated steam conveying pipe 13 which terminates in a two-way valve 14 of any acceptable construction which is regulatedI by means of a manually operated rod 15 in order to direct the flow of steam into a reversible turbine 16. In the operationY of the said turbine I have foundl it necessary to provide for theI vacuum caused by the reversible rotors and, to that end, I have planned so that the air may have easy accessto the turbine, as will be described more fully hereinafter.

A centrally located, worm-geared, shaft 17, journaled` in the'turbine housing and in a bearing 18, serves to transmit the revolutionsv of the turbine rotor toa shaft 19' which has fixedly secured thereto a bevel is journaled" in andV supported by bearings 21 and 22; In mesh with the gear 20 is a second bevel gea-r :23 which is' fixed on a shaft Q4 which is journaled throughy and' supported by the bearing 18 and has mounted on its otherwise free end a worm gear 25.

The last named" worm gear is inV mesh' with: a relatively larger gear 25a located upon a shaft 26 which is supported by bearings 27 and 28, the said shaft'26 serving in effectasar means4 upon which disks 29 and 30 (operated by the lever and gear shift 31), are thrust into and out of contact with an enlarged' disk 32 which' is slidably fixed upon a shaft 33 that is journaled in ak bearing' 34k. and has a. universal joint connection. 35 secured to its rear end to which is connected `a shaft 36, which is slidably mounted in a sleeve 37 and engageable .therewith by pin-and-slot connection or otherwise. Fixedly secured to the rear end' it will be seen that a pin 31a is fixedly amounted in a bearingror journal box 31b said pin extending into a diagonal slot 31d in a collar 31c which latter is secured rigidly to handle 31 and has loosely journaled therein the shaft 26, the arrangement of the described parts being such that, when the handle 31 is rocked, the pin 31a which is held rigidly in its position, causes the collar 3lc to move a limited distance endwise, carrying-with it the shaft 26.

As above stated, the friction disk 32 is slidably mounted on shaft 33, the hub of said disk being formed with an annular groove (see Fig. 3) in which groove isV located the `forked end portion of an operating lever 32a whi-ch is fulcrumed at 32b in such manner that the rocking of said lever will result in sliding the disk 32 on shaft 33. f

A bearing 41 serves to support and take up the end thrust.'V of the shaft 39 Vand is fastened, by means of plates 42 and 43, to the chassis of the vehicle.

The motor 16, which I have already referred to briefly, is of the reversible rotor type, that is to say the rotor is provided on its opposite faces with, oppositely pitched blades or buckets, the steam being discharged upon the blades at one side through pipe 45 and exhausted through pipe 45a, and steam being discharged upon the blades at the other side through a pipe 46 and exhausted through a pipe 46a; the intake pipes 45 and 46 being branched from the twoway valve 14. When it is desired to drive the motor in one direction as, for example clock-wise the valve 14 is partly rota-ted so as to connect pipe 45 with the steam supply pipe 13 and when it is desired to reverse the direction of rotation of the rotor, the

valve is adjusted toconnect the intake pipe 46 with the rotor and to shut off, at the same time, the steam supply from pipe 45. The speed at which the rotor is driven may be readily controlled by simply regulating the volume and resulting force of the steam admitted through the pipe 45, or the pipe 46 as thecase may be.

Ordinarily, it is to be understood, the motor `may be driven continuously andthe starting, stopping, slowng-down and speeding-up of the vehicle should be controlled bythe friction drive which includes the conical rolls 29 and 30 and the co-acting beveled wheel 3 2, as I will now explain.

Assuming that the shaft 24 is being revolved clock-wise and it is desired to drive the vehiclev ahead at slow speed., the rolls 29 and 30 being in the positions shown in full lines in Fig. 2, the larger roll (32) is forced forward on shaft 33 until it engages, and is set in revolution by, the roll 30.

Should it be desired to increase the rotary speed of roll 32, the shaft 26 is slid longitudinally in its bearings, by means of the lever 3l and the roll 32 is advanced until it again contacts with the said roll 30, as will be understood by reference to Fig. 2 of the drawings. Y Y

If it is desired to reversei the direction of rotation of roll 32 and the mechanism connected therewith, it is only necessary to slide the roller shaft 26 far enough to Vcarry in such an event, the sudden starting or reversing of the rotor might result in stripping the reducing gears in the train drive, so I prefer to provide, as a precautionary and safety measure the friction control which includes the rolls 29', 30 and 32.

In Fig. 4 I have shown a, partialsectional, plan view of a condenser 47 which is so constructed as to allow the steam from the turbine to exhaust directly into the atmosphere or to baffle and condense the said steam. The turbine exhaust pipes 45a and 46au are directly connected to the condenser and embody adjustable extensions 45b and 46h, the constructionA of the said exhausts being such that, when a cut-off or .baffleplate r48 is movedlaterally the steam may be directed into the air or into the condenser, (see Fig. 6 in which the said cut-off plate is adjusted tc allow the steam to pass into the condenser). l For the purpose of utilizing the condensed steam again I have connected the radiator 10 and the condenser 47 with pipes 50 and 51 in which I have provided a pump 52. The said pump draws the water from a certain predetermined level in the Vcondenser, vthrough thepipe 50 and forcesA it (the water) pipe 51. Y v

The drive, as shown and described, provides what may be referred to as a specially flexible drive which is prompt to respond to changes of direction or speed without the shocks which are incidental to the gearing of ordinary transmission mechanism.

Having thus described myy invention IV claim as new and wish to securerby Letters Patent vinto the radiator 10 through Vthe of steam the direction of rotation of the rotor, and driving connections between the rotor and the vehicle wheels, said drive including a condenser, connecting conduits between said condenser and said rotor, adjustable means, operably connected to said connecting conduits for directing the exhaust into the air or into the condenser, and means connecting the condenser t0 said boiler for returning the resultant exhaust steam to said boiler.

2. A drive for motor vehicles comprising in combination, a reversible fluid driven rotor operable through a range of speed in either direction, a fluid generator, a conduit between the generator and the rotor, a valve in said conduit, controlling both the admission of fluid and the direction of rotation of the rotor, a change-speed gearing intermediate the rotor and the vehicle wheels, and operably connected to the rotor and the vehicle wheelsfand reduction gearing associated with said change speed gearing.

3. A drive for motor vehicles comprising in combination, a reversible steam driven rotor operable through a range of speed in eithei` direction, a steam boiler, a conduit between the boiler and the rotor, a valve on said conduit controlling both the admission of steam and the direction of rotation of the rotor, condensing means connected to said rotor7 and conduits between the condensing means and the boiler, a change speed gearing intermediate the rotor 'and the vehicle wheels, and operably connected to the rotor and the vehicle wheels, and reduction gearing associated with said change speed gearing.

PATRICK J. GRIFFIN. 

